Description:

Belmont University is seeking a dynamic visionary leader, scholar, educator, and practitioner to build upon the extraordinary success of the Belmont University College of Law, and lead its outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners into the future.

Belmont University is a private, Christ-centered university focusing on academic excellence and whole person formation. Belmont is an ecumenical Christian institution located in the heart of Nashville, one of the fastest growing and most culturally rich cities in the country. Serving nearly 9,000 students from every state, more than 35 countries, and a diversity of faith traditions, Belmont University is the second largest private university in Tennessee.

Reporting directly to the Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Excellence, the Dean of the College of Law (COL) will serve as the academic and organizational leader of Belmont University's highly regarded law school, and will demonstrate exceptional character, creativity, and innovation in line with the University's key principles. Stakeholders have identified vision, integrity, transparency, trustworthiness, authenticity, visibility, an even temperament, and possessing a student-focus as desired characteristics of the next Dean. The Dean will be an exemplary representative of -- and relentless advocate for -- the Belmont University College of Law and Belmont University.

The Dean will ensure excellence in legal instruction in the classroom, enable deep learning and character-based whole-person formation among students, encourage and promote achievement in scholarship, and maintain the pervasive collegiality that has long been a hallmark of the College. The Dean will operationalize the strategies, systems, and culture necessary to achieve the goal of preparing students to become practice-ready attorneys upon graduation from the College of Law. The College of Law is particularly proud of its remarkable accomplishments in preparing students to pass the Bar Exam. For the July 2025 Tennessee Bar Exam, the COL had the highest bar passage rate in the state of Tennessee, achieving a 96.91% pass rate for first-time test takers and surpassing last year's pass rate of 94.7%. The Dean will develop and implement action plans to maintain and deepen this achievement.

In addition to providing academic leadership and strategic direction for the College, the Dean will enthusiastically communicate the mission, vision, and values of Belmont University and the College of Law to cultivate positive relationships with students, alumni, parents, donors, and partners. This includes seeking out and fostering professional collaborations and campus partnership opportunities with the goal of creating relevant and experiential student learning experiences.

The Dean will be charged with strategic utilization of all College resources, including effective financial management and efficient deployment of human capital. In addition to being a superlative steward of budgetary allocations and other College assets, the Dean will be a prolific and purposeful fund raiser to support investment in the College's mission and critical initiatives.

The next Dean of the College of Law will have an impressive track-record of successful leadership, demonstrable skill as an effective and collaborative executive, and be gifted in relationship-building, fund-raising, and fostering an entrepreneurial spirit amongst the COL team. The Dean must also possess a robust capacity to manage a complex organization, demonstrate a broad intellectual orientation and appreciation for future trends impacting higher education, and have a passion for the transformational power of higher education. It is also critical that regardless of the Dean's religious faith, they will be committed to Belmont University's Christ-centered, student-focused mission.

The Belmont Law faculty is dedicated to high quality teaching, service to the school and the profession, and active engagement in scholarship. Ranked 84th among ABA-Accredited law schools by U.S. News and World Report, Belmont Law's median LSAT and GPA for the 136 students who entered the law school in August 2025 were 161 and 3.84 (75th percentile: 163 and 3.94; 25th percentile: 158 and 3.66).

The College of Law's faculty is committed to scholarly excellence, and the faculty's publication history includes numerous articles in Top-50 law reviews such as the Michigan Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, North Carolina Law Review, Florida Law Review, Georgia Law Review, as well as books, classroom texts, and practitioner materials.

Belmont College of Law reserves the right to exercise a preference for those candidates who support the goals and mission of the University.

Other Key Responsibilities of the Dean:

Serve as the chief academic and administrative officer for the College, fostering a culture of teamwork and collaboration.
Identify, cultivate, solicit, steward, and sustain relationships with external constituencies and partners, including alumni, corporate sponsors, donors, and the professional community.
Meet fundraising and engagement objectives in partnership with the Office of Development.
Work collaboratively with university marketing and communications and the Office of the President around strategic branding opportunities.
Identify and foster opportunities for collaboration across the various Colleges within Belmont University.
Provide leadership and supervision for COL associate deans, faculty, and staff, and provide support and guidance for organizational, curricular, and administrative work related to the COL.
Oversee the student educational experience, including student learning, formation, support, retention, and success.
Facilitate and advance the continuing assessment and improvement of all academic initiatives, by establishing goals of excellence in all areas of teaching, scholarship, student support and service.
Lead the programmatic accreditation processes within the college, ensuring compliance with relevant accrediting bodies.
Commit to continual improvement of current and future curricula with attentiveness to the standards and expectations of the ABA, AALS, and any future accreditation bodies.
Collaborate with other deans, university administrators, and faculty members to advance interdisciplinary initiatives, research collaborations, and shared educational resources.
Participate in university-wide structures, committees and initiatives as necessary, contributing to the overall strategic direction of the university.
Effectively manage the financial resources and budget of the college, ensuring responsible fiscal management and strategic utilization of resources.
Collaborate with the university administration to allocate resources efficiently, seek external funding opportunities, and make strategic investments in faculty, staff, and infrastructure.
Recruit, hire, and evaluate exceptional faculty members in accordance with University policies and College practices.
Promote a culture of excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, student support, and service. Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to faculty. Foster a supportive and collaborative environment.
Perform other duties as assigned and directed by the President or Provost & Executive Vice-President for Academic Excellence.

Preferred Qualifications:

Commitment to Belmont University's Christ-centered institutional mission.
Evidence of successful leadership experience in an academic and/or professional environment.
Demonstrated aptitude in developing, articulating, and implementing a strategic direction within a complex institution.
Background, experience, and qualifications that would merit appointment to the law faculty at the rank of full professor with tenure.
An appreciation of Belmont University - its past, present, and future.
Long-standing dedication to academic excellence, scholarship, and learning.
Demonstrated leadership in promoting hope, unity and belonging among staff, faculty, and students.
Uncompromising personal and professional integrity.
Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.
Strong financial and resource management skills with the ability to make strategic budget decisions.
Ability to listen to divergent views while building consensus and collegiality.

Required Qualifications:
Belmont University seeks to attract and retain highly qualified faculty and staff who will support our mission and vision. As a Christ-centered and student-focused community, we aim to:

Form diverse leaders of character;
Equip people to solve the world's complex problems through teaching, research and service;
And be radical champions for helping people and communities flourish.

Required Education A Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree from an ABA-accredited institution.

Required Experience At least five years of progressively increasing responsibility and leadership within the legal or legal education field. Teaching, scholarship, and service achievements in higher education that merit appointment to the law faculty at the rank of full professor with tenure, or, alternatively, experience in the practice of law or other professions that demonstrate equivalent professional achievement.

The selected candidate will be required to complete a background check satisfactory to the University.

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